Using tasks to measure consumers' ability to apply food guide recommendations: lessons learned

This article reports on lessons learned from using comparison and substitution tasks to assess consumers' ability to apply food guide messages. The study evaluated the usability of the Northeast Regional Food Guide (NERFG), which provides instruction on healthful diets of local foods in season. The tasks showed that the NERFG is useful for daily life decisions. Lessons learned were that the scores on tasks need to better differentiate between groups. The validity and reliability of the tasks should be established in future research. The use of tasks may also be appropriate for educational purposes.